Against the Grain: A Program about Politics, Society and Ideashttp://againstthegrain.org
enTues 7.28.15 | UFW's Rank and Filehttp://againstthegrain.org/program/1193/tues-72815-ufws-rank-and-file
<p>Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers may seem synonymous. The charismatic leader headed up the union through strikes and boycotts that garnered nationwide attention and made him a labor icon. Former farm worker Frank Bardacke argues, however, that the history of the UFW needs to be understood from the bottom up. He reveals the mainly untold story of the UFW's militant rank and file, who brought their own radical traditions to the union and clashed with union staff in ways that shaped the organization's fate.<br /><!--DOCTY--></p>Program ArchivesCesar ChavezFrank BardackelaborUnited Farm WorkersTue, 28 Jul 2015 18:56:27 +0000Sasha Lilley1193 at http://againstthegrain.orgMon 7.27.15 | Sex Crimes and "Masculinities"http://againstthegrain.org/program/1191/mon-72715-sex-crimes-and-masculinities
<p style="margin-left: -0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in; font-weight: normal;">Why do men commit rape, child sexual abuse, and other sex crimes? Does the answer lie in the way males are brought up, in the traits they're encouraged and expected to develop?&nbsp;<a href="http://directory.tacoma.uw.edu/employee/ackerma1" target="_blank">Alissa Ackerman</a> contends that while certain aspects of masculinities -- the socially constructed ways in which men perform their manhood -- can be factors contributing to sexual violence, others can help men refrain from it.</p>Program ArchivescrimemasculinitiesmenrapesexMon, 27 Jul 2015 23:07:56 +0000C.S. Soong1191 at http://againstthegrain.orgWed 7.22.15 | The Criminalization of Raphttp://againstthegrain.org/program/1188/coming-wed-72215
<p>Young men of color who are or aspire to be rap artists have long been targeted by police departments and the FBI. The lyrics they write are often viewed not as artistic expression but as evidence of a criminal disposition or even as confessions of wrongdoing. <a href="https://socialecology.uci.edu/faculty/ckubrin" target="_blank">Charis Kubrin</a> puts the growing use of rap lyrics in criminal proceedings in context.</p>Program Archivesartcourtscrimehip-hopmusicpolicerapWed, 22 Jul 2015 04:05:33 +0000C.S. Soong1188 at http://againstthegrain.orgTues 7.21.15 | Richard Pryorhttp://againstthegrain.org/program/1187/tue-22315-richard-pryor
<p>Iconoclastic comedian, talented actor, and gifted writer Richard Pryor pushed the boundaries of popular culture at a pivotal moment, laying bare uncomfortable truths about race and injustice in America. Scott Saul reflects on the comedian's formative years in a segregated country and the fluorescence of his art during a time of urban unrest, Black Power, and the counterculture of the 1960s and '70s.</p>Program Archives1960sBlack PowercountercultureHollywoodraceRichard PryorScott SaulTue, 21 Jul 2015 23:33:27 +0000C.S. Soong1187 at http://againstthegrain.orgMon 7.20.15 | Profiting from Global Warminghttp://againstthegrain.org/program/1184/mon-72015-profiting-global-warming
<p>Getting rich off of global warming may seem like the ultimate cynical business plan. But corporations are hedging their bets on unchecked climate change and the opportunities it affords. Journalist&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mckenziefunk.com/" target="_blank">McKenzie Funk</a> reports about the very lucrative business to be made from the deleterious effects of climate change, from opened shipping lanes in the melting Arctic to newly exposed mineral deposits, from food production on previously inhospitable land to the sale of artificial snow to the Alps.</p>Program Archivesagriculturebankscapitalismglobal warmingMcKenzie FunkoilMon, 20 Jul 2015 19:35:45 +0000Sasha Lilley1184 at http://againstthegrain.orgWed 7.15.15 | The Neoliberal Turnhttp://againstthegrain.org/program/1183/wed-71515-neoliberal-turn
<p style="margin-left: -0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;">According to Michel Feher, neoliberal policies have turned individuals, corporations, and states into credit-seeking asset managers. Those people deemed asset-less (whom Feher calls "discredited") are being disposed of, in four distinct ways, in Europe. Feher spoke about the neoliberal condition at <a href="http://nbpc.berkeley.edu/" target="_blank">a conference in Berkeley</a> earlier this year.</p>Program ArchivesassetscorporationscreditEuropeneoliberalismWed, 15 Jul 2015 22:19:15 +0000C.S. Soong1183 at http://againstthegrain.orgTues 7.14.15 | The Politics of Gardeninghttp://againstthegrain.org/program/1181/tue-71415-politics-gardening
<p>From utopian experiments with garden cities to guerrilla gardeners planting on abandoned or misused land, the garden appears to have abundant radical potentialities. Cultural critic <a href="http://georgemckay.org/" target="_blank">George McKay</a> unearths its complex politics, looking at the thorny questions of militarism, gardening, and the fascist right, as well as myriad experiments by those on the left. He concludes that gardens remain a fertile site for political action.</p>Program Archivesgardeningmilitarismorganic agricultureutopianismTue, 14 Jul 2015 18:32:17 +0000C.S. Soong1181 at http://againstthegrain.orgMon 7.13.15 | US-Backed Violence in Latin Americahttp://againstthegrain.org/program/1180/mon-71315-us-backed-violence-latin-america
<p style="margin-left: -0.01in; margin-bottom: 0in;">What does the imposition of neoliberalism in Latin America have to do with US militarism in the region? Why does the US provide military training and aid to nations like Colombia, Honduras, and Mexico? Jennifer Disney and Ginger Williams assert that US-backed military violence often targets civilians who resist the neoliberal agenda.</p>Program ArchivesactivismColombiaHondurasMexicomilitarismUS foreign policyMon, 13 Jul 2015 22:26:39 +0000C.S. Soong1180 at http://againstthegrain.orgWed 7.08.15 | Neo-African Music and Resistancehttp://againstthegrain.org/program/1178/wed-70815-neo-african-music-and-resistance
<p>Afro-Latin music is a multimillion-dollar industry, but according to <a href="http://english.cla.umn.edu/FACULTY/brennan/" target="_blank">Timothy Brennan</a>, it speaks to a world outside of the relations of the market, and that's what makes it irresistible. Brennan talks about cultural resistance, the Afro-Cuban roots music known as the <em>son</em>, and the pioneering scholarship of Cuban novelist Alejo Carpentier.</p>Program ArchivesAfro-CubanmusicNeo-AfricanTimothy BrennanWed, 08 Jul 2015 22:36:47 +0000C.S. Soong1178 at http://againstthegrain.orgTues 7.07.15 | Squatters as Neighborshttp://againstthegrain.org/program/1177/tues-70715-squatters-neighbors
<p>Vacant structures abound in the bankrupt city of Detroit, and squatters have taken over and occupied many of them. Although squatting is illegal, the practice has achieved a kind of legitimacy and vibrancy as residents yearn for a sense of community among the empty lots and abandoned homes. Claire Herbert has interviewed squatters, long-time residents, city officials, and others.</p>Program ArchivescommunityDetroithousinglawsquattingTue, 07 Jul 2015 20:36:46 +0000C.S. Soong1177 at http://againstthegrain.org